The present invention relates to a cassette eject mechanism of a recording or reproducing apparatus for use with a so-called single unit video camera-recorder having a camera function and a recording or reproducing function. Further, the present invention relates to a battery loading mechanism used in such single-unit video camera-recorder or electronic equipment, such as a liquid crystal television receiver or the like. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a mechanical chassis (mechanical deck) supporting mechanism for use in a recording apparatus.
Single-unit video camera-recorders are now commercially available on the market. The single unit video camera-recorder needs various operations buttons provided on the housing to take a picture and various operation switch buttons to record a video signal or to reproduce a recorded video signal. Of the above-mentioned operation switch buttons, the single-unit video camera-recorder needs cassette eject buttons disposed on the housing to perform the recording or reproduction.
Since the single-unit video camera-recorder has many operation switches disposed on its housing as described above, the user tends to operate a wrong operation switch button unintentionally. Therefore, the single-unit video camera-recorder has an image that it is not so easy for the user to handle.
Of the various operation switch buttons, if the user operates the cassette eject button inadvertently, there is then the problem that a tape cassette is ejected from the single-unit video camera-recorder to interrupt the recording or reproducing operation during the recording or reproduction. Therefore, when the single-unit video camera-recorder is used outdoors, from a portability standpoint, the single-unit video camera-recorder has various mechanical restrictions, such as where to dispose a cassette eject button and how to provide a cassette eject button locking mechanism.
Electronic equipments generally include a rechargeable battery accommodating mechanism portion provided on a housing thereof. The rechargeable battery accommodating mechanism portion generally comprises a battery accommodating portion for accommodating a rechargeable battery, a lid cover supported to the battery accommodating portion so as to become freely openable and closable and a locking mechanism for positioning the rechargeable battery accommodated in the battery accommodating portion.
The battery accommodating mechanism portion, however, encountered with the problems such that it is difficult to load the rechargeable battery into the battery accommodating portion and that the loading of the rechargeable battery is hard to understand. Further, since the locking mechanism for positioning the battery in the battery accommodating portion is complicated in structure, the number of assembly parts is unavoidably increased. There is then the problem that the assembling of the battery mechanism portion is troublesome for the user. Furthermore, since the battery mechanism portion is disposed on the electronic equipment at its very restricted place, the battery mechanism portion tends to be restricted from a plan or design standpoint. Therefore, it is unavoidable that the electronic equipment is deteriorated in outer face.
A recent trend of a recording apparatus is that the recording apparatus is more and more miniaturized and reduced in weight. In accordance with this trend, a mechanical chassis on which important mechanism portions of the recording apparatus are mounted or a cabinet forming an outer housing of the recording apparatus is reduced in thickness in order to reduce the weight thereof.
While the mechanical chassis or the cabinet can be reduced in weight when it is reduced in thickness, a rigidity (strength) thereof is lowered unavoidably. For this reason, the mechanical chassis or cabinet tends to be deformed by an external stress, such as a twisting force or the like. An important problem caused when the mechanical chassis or cabinet is deformed by the twisting force or the like is that an accurate tape path cannot be formed on a drum by a very small displacement produced between tape path mechanisms provided on the mechanical chassis.